Dark Energy Survey Year 1 Results: Cosmological Constraints from Cluster Abundances, Weak Lensing, and Galaxy Correlations.

We present the first joint analysis of cluster abundances and auto or cross-correlations of three cosmic tracer fields: galaxy density, weak gravitational lensing shear, and cluster density split by optical richness. From a joint analysis (4×2pt+N) of cluster abundances, three cluster cross-correlations, and the auto correlations of the galaxy density measured from the first year data of the Dark Energy Survey, we obtain Ω_{m}=0.305_{-0.038}^{+0.055} and σ_{8}=0.783_{-0.054}^{+0.064}. This result is consistent with constraints from the DES-Y1 galaxy clustering and weak lensing two-point correlation functions for the flat νΛCDM model. Consequently, we combine cluster abundances and all two-point correlations from across all three cosmic tracer fields (6×2pt+N) and find improved constraints on cosmological parameters as well as on the cluster observable-mass scaling relation. This analysis is an important advance in both optical cluster cosmology and multiprobe analyses of upcoming wide imaging surveys.

Wide-Field Lensing Mass Maps from Dark Energy Survey Science Verification Data.

We present a mass map reconstructed from weak gravitational lensing shear measurements over 139 deg2 from the Dark Energy Survey science verification data. The mass map probes both luminous and dark matter, thus providing a tool for studying cosmology. We find good agreement between the mass map and the distribution of massive galaxy clusters identified using a red-sequence cluster finder. Potential candidates for superclusters and voids are identified using these maps. We measure the cross-correlation between the mass map and a magnitude-limited foreground galaxy sample and find a detection at the 6.8σ level with 20 arc min smoothing. These measurements are consistent with simulated galaxy catalogs based on N-body simulations from a cold dark matter model with a cosmological constant. This suggests low systematics uncertainties in the map. We summarize our key findings in this Letter; the detailed methodology and tests for systematics are presented in a companion paper.

Comparison of higher clopidogrel loading and maintenance dose to standard dose on platelet function and outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention using drug-eluting stents.

Adequate antiplatelet therapy is paramount for good clinical outcomes in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The purpose of this study was to determine whether a high-dose regimen of clopidogrel in patients undergoing PCI is superior to standard dosing. A total of 119 patients undergoing PCI were blindly randomized in 2:1 fashion to receive clopidogrel loading 600 mg on the table immediately before PCI and 75 mg 2 times/day for 1 month (high-dose group) versus standard dosing (300 mg loading and 75 mg/day; low-dose group). Platelet aggregation was measured using light transmission aggregometry at baseline, 4 hours, and 30 days. The composite of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, and target vessel revascularization was studied at 30 days in addition to major and minor bleeding. Baseline characteristics and baseline platelet aggregation were similar in the 2 groups. Percent inhibitions of platelet activity were 41% and 27% in the high-dose group versus 19% and 10% in the low-dose group at 4 hours and 30 days (p = 0.046 and 0.047, respectively). Composite clinical end points were 10.3% in the high-dose group and 23.8% in the low-dose group (p = 0.04). No difference was noted in major or minor bleeding. In conclusion, a higher loading and maintenance dose of clopidogrel in patients undergoing PCI results in superior platelet inhibition and decreased cardiovascular events without increasing bleeding complications.

Assessing biological indicators for remediated anthropogenic urban soils.

Anthropogenic urban soils, including brownfield soils, are currently characterised and evaluated using mainly physico-chemical properties. Our objective was to determine if biological indicators could provide a more comprehensive soil quality assessment relative to sustainability, identifying contamination issues, and effectiveness of remediation strategies. Plant, invertebrate and microbial assays and functional processes were evaluated at 10 brownfield/anthropogenic urban locations at different stages of remediation in northwest England. Extreme sites were discriminated on the basis of earthworm counts and a small number of indicators likely to be related to their activity. It was concluded that identifying a universally-applicable benchmark suite of biological indicators is very unlikely without considerable advancement of knowledge and technology.

Usefulness of B-type natriuretic peptide levels to predict left ventricular filling pressures in patients with body mass index >35, 31 to 35, and < or =30 kg/m2.

Noninvasive left ventricular (LV) pressure estimation in obese patients has not been well described. Simultaneous B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and echocardiographic Doppler examinations were performed in patients with dyspnea undergoing cardiac catheterization. Patients were divided into body mass index (BMI) >35 (markedly obese), 31 to 35 (obese), and < or =30 kg/m2 (nonobese). BNP levels and mitral early diastolic/tissue Doppler annular velocity (E/Ea) were compared with invasively measured LV end-diastolic and pre-atrial (pre-A) pressures. Seventy-two patients were studied. Except for BMI, LV mass index, and LV diastolic dimension, there were no significant differences in baseline, echocardiographic Doppler, or hemodynamic characteristics among the groups. However, BNP was significantly lower in markedly obese compared with obese and nonobese patients (116 +/- 187 vs 241 +/- 674 and 277 +/- 352 pg/ml, respectively; p = 0.03). BNP did not correlate with LV pre-A pressure in markedly obese patients (R = 0.13, p = 0.47), whereas BNP significantly correlated with this variable in the obese (R = 0.64) and nonobese (R = 0.58) groups. Mitral E/Ea significantly correlated with LV pre-A and LV end-diastolic pressures in all BMI groups. In markedly obese patients with dyspnea, BNP did not correlate with invasively measured LV filling pressure, whereas this correlated in obese and nonobese patients. However, mitral E/Ea significantly correlated with LV filling pressures in all BMI groups. In conclusion, BNP is not recommended for LV filling pressure estimation in ambulatory patients with dyspnea with BMI >35 kg/m2.

Osteonecrosis of the femoral head treated with cementless total hip arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: The treatment of young patients who have osteonecrosis of the femoral head associated with collapse or substantial secondary degeneration remains a therapeutic challenge, with total hip arthroplasty being a treatment of choice. However, concerns about the durability of the results of hip arthroplasty in this population necessitate long-term evaluation of this treatment option. To determine its advantages and limitations, we evaluated the results of cementless total hip arthroplasty in a consecutive series of young patients with advanced osteonecrosis. METHODS: We reviewed the results of fifty-five consecutive primary total hip arthroplasties, after an average of 117 months of follow-up, in forty-five patients with a preoperative diagnosis of advanced osteonecrosis of the femoral head (Ficat and Arlet stage III or IV). The average age was thirty-one years (range, twenty-one to forty years) at the time of the operation. We collected data prospectively with the use of patient questionnaires and radiographs. RESULTS: Five patients died and one patient was lost to follow-up before the time of the minimum five-year follow-up; this left forty-eight hips in thirty-nine patients for inclusion in the study. Ten (21 percent) of the forty-eight hips required revision. No revisions were due to aseptic failure of the femoral component. Of the remaining twenty-nine patients (thirty-eight hips), twenty-seven (93 percent) reported few or no functional limitations and twenty-three (79 percent) could walk an unlimited distance at the time of the latest follow-up. Pain was absent or mild in twenty-five patients (86 percent). Twenty-three patients (79 percent) were employed full-time. Radiographically, thirty-seven femoral components (97 percent) were bone-ingrown and the remaining component was judged to be fibrous stable. All thirty-eight acetabular components were bone-ingrown. CONCLUSIONS: Cementless total hip arthroplasty remains a reasonable treatment option for advanced osteonecrosis of the femoral head. Wear of the bearing surface continues to limit the long-term success rate, but we are encouraged by the predictable long-term stability of the bone-implant interface achieved with cementless fixation. These results compare favorably with those of published reports of total hip arthroplasty with cement in younger patients with osteonecrosis.

A multiple-purpose design approach to the evaluation of risks from mixtures of disinfection by-products.

Drinking water disinfection has effectively eliminated much of the morbidity and mortality associated with waterborne infectious diseases in the United States. Various disinfection processes, however, produce certain types and amounts of disinfection by-products (DBPs), including trihalomethanes (THM), haloacetic acids, haloacetonitriles, and bromate, among others. Human health risks from the ubiquitous exposure to complex mixtures of DBPs are of concern because existing epidemiologic and toxicologic studies suggest the existence of systemic or carcinogenic effects. Researchers from several organizations have developed a multiple-purpose design approach to this problem that combines efficient laboratory experimental designs with statistical models to provide data on critical research issues (e.g., estimation of human health risk from low-level DBP exposures, evaluation of additivity assumptions as useful for risk characterization, estimation of health risks from different drinking water treatment options). A series of THM experiments have been designed to study embryonic development, mortality and cancer in Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) and liver and kidney endpoints in female CD-1 mice. The studies are to provide dose-response data for specific mixtures of the 4 THMs, for the single chemicals, and for binary combinations. The dose-levels and mixing ratios for these experiments were selected to be useful for development and refinement of three different statistical methods: testing for departures from dose-additivity; development of an interactions-based hazard index; and use of proportional-response addition as a risk characterization method. Preliminary results suggest that dose-additivity is a reasonable risk assessment assumption for DBPs. The future of mixtures research will depend on such collaborative efforts that maximize the use of resources and focus on issues of high relevance to the risk assessment of human health.

Gonadal cysts in spotted gar (Lepisosteus oculatus) from Bayou Trepagnier, Louisiana, USA.

Gonadal cysts of spotted gar (Lepisosteus oculatus), an air-breathing teleost commonly found in Louisiana waters, are described. Fish were collected from two sites: Bayou Trepagnier, a petroleum-contaminated site (30 males and 42 females), and Bayou Traverse, a control site (17 males and 15 females). After fish were evaluated for gross abnormalities, they were necropsied and the gonads, gonadal ducts, and gonadal cysts were evaluated histologically. Multilocular fluid-filled cysts were noted in the testes, or spermatic ducts of four spotted gars from the Bayou Trepagnier. Unilateral ovarian cystadenomas were present in one female from Bayou Trepagnier. No cysts were observed in the gonads of spotted gar from the control site.

Encephalomyocarditis virus infections in an Australian zoo.

Fatal encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) infections in a ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta), a squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus), three mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx), a chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), a pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis), and two Goodfellows tree kangaroos (Dendrolagus goodfellowi) occurred at Taronga Zoo. This is the first description of EMCV in a zoological collection outside of the United States. Regardless of species, the most common clinical presentation was sudden death. The gross pathologic changes were diffuse or focal pallor of the myocardium with occasional marked pulmonary congestion. Necrotizing nonsuppurative myocarditis was consistently present. EMCV was isolated from only one of 54 feral rodents examined. No antibodies to EMCV were detected with a serum neutralization test in 79 stored sera from a wide variety of zoo mammals. Titers of 1:16, 1:16, and 1:4 were recorded for a spider monkey (Aeteles geoffroyi), a lion (Panthera leo), and an orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus), respectively. Of seven mandrills tested in 1988, six had measurable virus titers. Later testing indicated that these titers did not persist, and one mandrill with a titer > 1:128 in 1988 subsequently succumbed to EMCV infection in 1991.

A presumed inherited spongiform leucoencephalomyelopathy of Romney lambs in New Zealand.

This paper records a unique ovine encephalomyelopathy seen on several farms in the Otago Region of New Zealand. It occurred in 2-3 month-old Romney lambs as a rapidly progressive posterior paresis leading to flaccid paralysis. Pathologically, it was characterised by severe spongy vacuolation of white matter in both brain and spinal cord. It is suspected that the condition is inherited.

Comparative toxicity of selenium from seleno-DL-methionine, sodium selenate, and Astragalus bisulcatus in pigs.

Selenium is an essential micronutrient, although ingestion in excess in pigs can cause disease conditions including neurological dysfunction and chronic skin and hoof lesions. Controlled feeding trials in growing swine, using the same Se content in feed sources, resulted in higher concentrations (p < or = 0.05) of Se in blood and organs of pigs fed seleno-DL-methionine compared with those receiving Astragalus bisulcatus or sodium selenate. Clinical signs of Se toxicity including neurological signs of paralysis were more severe and occurred sooner in the A. bisulcatus group than in the sodium selenate or seleno-DL-methionine groups. All five pigs fed A. bisulcatus developed neurological signs of paralysis, and in four the signs occurred within 5 days of the start of treatment. Four of five pigs fed sodium selenate also developed paralysis, but this occurred 4 to 21 days after treatment began. The fifth pig in the group developed signs of chronic selenosis. Two of five pigs fed seleno-DL-methionine developed paralysis on 9 and 24 days, respectively, and the remaining three developed chronic selenosis. Selenium fed to pigs in three forms [plant (A. bisulcatus), sodium selenate, or seleno-DL-methionine] resulted in neurological dysfunction and lesions of symmetrical poliomyelomalacia. These were most severe in the A. bisulcatus group, which also had polioencephalomalacia. Although seleno-DL-methionine caused the greater increase in tissue and blood Se concentrations, this did not correlate with severity of pathological changes, since animals fed A. bisulcatus developed more severe and disseminated lesions.

Multiple congenital cardiac anomalies and idiopathic thoracic aortitis in a horse.

An echocardiographical and clinical pathological investigation of the rapid loss of weight by a yearling thoroughbred filly revealed an atrial septal defect, a ventricular septal defect and hyperfibrinogenaemia. A post mortem examination confirmed the cardiac abnormalities and revealed a severe thoracic aortitis. It is proposed that the idiopathic thoracic aortitis contributed to the horse's compromised cardiovascular homoeostasis.

An outbreak of blindness in kangaroos in western New South Wales.

Abstract Extract For several months of the summer-autumn of 1994 there were many reports of blindness, particularly in Western Grey Kangaroos on properties extending from north western Victoria throughout western New South Wales. On some properties, up to 20% of macropods were affected. Many animals probably died, mainly from starvation.